Michael Holmes

Health bosses at Blackpool Victoria Hospital say last month’s junior doctors strike – the first to include emergency cover in NHS history – did not impact on the quality of care.

Operations director Pat Oliver told the hospital trust’s board that, despite the walk-out, on April 26 and 27, no patients came to any harm, and the level of care had been ‘safe and of high quality’, documents revealed.

However, the impact on waiting times will not be revealed until June 9, NHS England said yesterday.

Junior doctors, who picketed outside the hospital’s main entrance during the strike, also gave emergency first aid training to hospital workers and visitors during the strike, which lasted for 48 hours.

Mrs Oliver told her fellow directors they had acted professionally, and were issued a ‘thank you’ afterwards.

Mrs Oliver said: “The strike produced a number of challenges but we planned for the event and our staff provided excellent support over the two days.

“Many senior members of staff went back on the wards to provide support for patients and helped maintain high levels of safe care.

“The junior doctors behaved fantastically well and many used the strike to undertake basic life support training which saw staff and public undertake some training.’’

Some 70 operations and 497 appointments were cancelled as a result of the strike.